


I Wanna Dance With Somebody

by rhinkipoo



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Post High School, not a sponsor, pre college, teen, teen!rhink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-24 06:38:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17095697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhinkipoo/pseuds/rhinkipoo
Summary: “Anything else? You okay? You sound like you’re freaking out, Neal.”Something deep inside Link’s chest sparked to life. It always woke up when Rhett called him that. Well, it happened most times Link talked to Rhett.No time for that now.





	I Wanna Dance With Somebody

**Author's Note:**

  * For [archionblu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/archionblu/gifts).



It wasn’t like Link to put off packing. Not at all. But maybe since this wasn’t just a trip, he kept putting it off and hadn’t even started. Nope. Not even a list was made. In one week, he’d be moving to Raleigh to start his college career and nothing was ready.

Since graduating, he’d been working as much as he could with his dad to save money for school. Today, though? Today he had the day off and his mom was at the hospital. He had every intention of starting to pack, but after sleeping in and watching The Price Is Right, he was losing any sense of motivation.

Link made a deal with himself: for every ten items packed, he’d get allow himself a large bite of a Slim Jim.

First things first, a list. He’d need clothes from late summer to Fall. If he had space, he’d pack winter jackets and boots, but he could always grab those things at Fall Break or even Thanksgiving. Link walked to his closet and began pulling his favorite shirts off of their hangers, folding them to pack. Then he thought about the hangers.

“Crap.” _What if I can’t hang my stuff up?_

Link’s anxiety began to climb. Maybe this is why he put it off. Too many variables and choices. He started to freak out and felt overwhelmed. Absentmindedly, he thought maybe this is why he hadn’t started to pack any earlier. He wanted to stop.

“Do this Neal. Do it now, or you’ll regret it later.” He looked to his bed. “Do it for the Slim Jim.”

Taking a deep breath, Link walked to the kitchen where the main phone was. His fingers worked on autopilot, dialing the numbers that had practically worn off the buttons at this point. He only had to wait a few rings before someone picked up. It was Mama Di.

“Hello, Mama Di, is Rhett home? Can I speak to him?” _What if he wasn’t there? What if Link couldn’t get an answer to his closet question? Did he need to bring hangers or no?_

“Sure thing, hon’.”

If Link was a betting man, he’d say Mama Di pressed the phone against her shoulder and shouted up the stairs. He heard the faint sound of Rhett barreling down the stairs.

“Hey, bo, what’s up?”

“Well, I’m trying to pack. Have you started?” Link already knew the answer.

Rhett only laughed. “Man, I’ve got a whole week to get that stuff figured out.”

Link rolled his eyes so hard, he was sure Rhett’d be able to hear it.

“Well, just be ready, okay? I ain’t gonna do it for you.” He continued over Rhett’s laughter. “But, um, I was calling to see if you remembered if our dorm had a closet.”

“Yeah! I remember seeing them when we visited and did that tour thing. They’re small, but we each get one.”

Link sighed out of relief. He finally had his answer.

“Anything else? You okay? You sound like you’re freaking out, Neal.”

Something deep inside Link’s chest sparked to life. It always woke up when Rhett called him that. Well, it happened most times Link talked to Rhett. _No time for that now._

“Yeah, I’m okay.” He hoped he came off convincingly. “Talk to you later.”

“See you soon.” Rhett hung up first.

Link spent the fifteen minutes or so folding his shirts and packing the corresponding hangers., taking bites of his Slim Jim along the way. Next was his chest of drawers.

_Oh, gosh._

Starting to feel that anxiety being to rise again, he walked into the living room and over to his mother’s entertainment system. It’s primary purpose for the past five years or so had been something the television could sit on.

But Link knew there was a record player in there. He remembered how Jimmy would open the piece of furniture to uncover the hidden turntable, and did it himself for the first time.

“Okay, cool, now what? Where does mama keep her records?”

He rummaged around the room for less than a minute before finding her collection. Going through them, one stuck out, but he was too embarrassed to acknowledge it fully. When he got to the end, he thought _Screw it!_ and pulled the record out anway. No one was home to judge. And if he wanted to dance, he’d dance, dammit!

It took a couple of tries, but Link finally got the music playing.

The music began playing, and his hips starting moving. He could feel the anxiety leaving his body. He never paid attention to the lyrics until now.

_I need a man who'll take a chance On a love that burns hot enough to last So when the night falls My lonely heart calls_

He stopped in place. That ball in his chest grew three times as big. It hurt. He needed that. He needed a man who would help his lonely heart.

_Oh, I wanna dance with somebody I wanna feel the heat with somebody Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody With somebody who loves me_

Link longed to dance with _him_. He felt the heat, but assumed it was only one way. _Why wouldn’t it be? What would the chances be? If he felt the same, I’d know_. For a moment, he let himself indulge in a bitter fantasy. It was prom, and his date wasn’t who was in his formal photos, no. It was the one in the goofy photos from before they left. They’d have gone to dinner together, then to the venue. They’d have danced together all night. Whether to fun songs like this, or to slow romantic songs where their bodies would be close and arms wrapped around each other.

Shaking his head, he pulled himself back to the present. He couldn’t think like that anymore. For goodness sake, he and Rhett were going to be roommates just next week. He had to get over this crush. Without hesitation, Link cranked up the volume and danced his way around the living room.

When the song ended, he ran to the record player and restarted it, belting along with Whitney.

He’d just finished the second verse when he saw Rhett standing in the entryway inside his house. Link’s entire body flushed and he was hot all over.

After ripping the needle off of the record, praying he hadn’t ruined it, Link slowly turned around.

“Sorry for just, uh, coming in. You sounded really anxious and freaked out on the phone, and I got here as soon as I could. And when I did get here, I heard was your mom’s music and only saw your truck in the driveway. I thought maybe you were having a mental breakdown or something, but, um…” Rhett all but spewed out.

Link was way too embarrassed to note how worried Rhett was acting.

“You could have just called me back.” Link deflected.

“I tried, but it just rang and rang. So, I drove over.” Rhett explained. “Are you okay?”

Link flopped down on the couch. “I don’t know, man. I’m worried ‘bout all sorts of stuff.”

Rhett sat down right next to him, which wasn’t at all uncommon for them, but given Link’s very recent fantasy, it was too close. Scooting down the couch, away from Rhett, Link was determined to put space between them. He needed a clear head if he was going to omit the main reason for his anxiety. Come up with something reasonable to hold Rhett off.

However, Rhett was just as determined. He followed Link down the couch and wrapped his arm around him, pulling Link into a side hug.

“C’mon, brother, you know you can talk to me about anything. Does it have to do with starting college? Moving out? Because I know you Neal, and you can’t tell me this is just about how you’ll be able to organize your clothes.”

“It is and it isn’t,” Link’s voice just above a whisper, “but I’ll get over it.” _I have to._

“Well, just talk to me. Please?” It was Rhett’s turn to sound worried and anxious.

“It’s not that easy, Rhett.” Link’s eyes continued to stay glued to his lap. “If I tell you, I know it will change everything.”

Link startled at the touch to his face. He finally looked over at Rhett, who was now wiping his hand on his shorts.

“Am I crying?”

Rhett nodded, not showing any judgement. Only support.

“Oh gosh, I’m so embarrassed.” Link wiped at his own eyes.

“Don’t be. I’m not gonna leave you, you know that.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement.

Rhett flipped over his hand that had the faintest scar on it’s palm - it would completely disappear in a few years, which he already mourned - and rubbed with a pointer finger.

“Never.”

Link reached a hand over to trace the same line on Rhett’s palm. They were quiet for a moment. This reassurance emboldened Link. He took a deep breath, stood up, and walked over to the record player.

“I need you to _really_ listen to these lyrics, Rhett.” Link faced away from Rhett, steadied himself, and started the song over again.

He stayed in that position, unable to look at Rhett and see his look of confusion and disgust.

He missed all of the questioning expressions on Rhett’s face, but he also missed the glimmer of hope in Rhett’s eyes.

Link hadn’t lowered the volume from his solo dance party, and could just barely hear the squeaks from the couch. A fresh wave of tears welled up in his eyes as he prepared himself for the inevitable slam of his front door.

Much to his disbelief, he felt Rhett’s presence right behind him, close enough he could feel his body heat. Link made a move to turn around, but Rhett’s hand on his side stopped him. Rhett leaned over Link, pulling the needle away from the record, and dropped his head close to Link’s ear.

“Am I your ‘somebody’?” The gravelly timbre of Rhett’s voice sent a chill throughout Link’s body.

All Link could to was nod. He was so nervous he could feel his pulse in his ears.

Link tried, and was allowed this time, to turn around in Rhett’s arms. Rhett surged down and captured Link’s lips with his own. Their collective relief was palpable.

They had both kissed their fair share of girls, trying to get the other out of their minds, never understanding what was so great about it. But now? Kissing was finally living up to its hype. Link felt fireworks go off when Rhett pulled him closer, his own hands instinctively wrapping around Rhett’s neck.

Rhett pulled back, resting his forehead on Link’s, trying to blink back tears of his own.

“Is this really happening?” Link whispered.

“It better be,” Rhett responded before leaning into kiss Link again. “Gosh, your lips are so soft.”

They stared at each other, quiet and content, looking at each other with new eyes. Smiles turned into giggles, which brought fresh tears of happiness.

Link tucked his head against Rhett’s shoulder, and Rhett held him safe.

“Is this what you were worried about?”

“I thought I could get over you enough to be okay with living with you. If I had everything perfect and organized, like enough hangers or whatever, that I could pretend to not be in love with you.”

Upon hearing the “L” word, Rhett fully wrapped his arms around Link.

“Then you got here, and I couldn’t not be honest with you. But I got scared since I’m supposed to feel this way only for girls. Scared you’d never want to see my face again. Go home and call to get a new roommate.” Link hadn’t realized he’d been crying again, nor that it had turned into sobs. Rhett rubbed circles into his back.

“But that didn’t happen, Link.” Rhett took his free hand to cup Link’s chin. “In fact, the opposite did. I love you, too, and nothing is gonna change that.”

Rhett’s face split with a grin when he saw the way Link’s face lit up at those words.

“Am I hallucinating? Am I gonna wake up with all of this having been a dream and a Slim Jim hanging out of my mouth?” Link liked how Rhett laughed at his jokes.

Without intention, they began swaying. Slow dancing to no music. At last, Link was dancing with somebody who loved him.

“The best dream ever, darlin’.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas! 
> 
> Say Hi to me on [tumblr](http://rhinkipoo.tumblr.com)!


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